For some reason, I thought about faithfulness today. What it means to be faithful fo someone. Or, I suppose, to something. It means to stand by it or them. To have hope and trust in it or them.
Recently, I was sitting outside at work. The building has a lot of glass that reflects the trees very well. I heard a thud. I saw a bird land on the concrete. It had flown into the glass, probably confused, thinking it was heading for a tree that was in reality only a reflection. It was a sad moment. But the next moment was even more sad.
Another bird came and stopped by the bird lying on the pavement. The other bird kinda pecked at it a bit, nudged it, tried to get it to move. Unfortunately, I think the first bird was dead. And I think the second bird was it’s mate. It was a sad moment. The second bird came back a few times, trying to say “wake up” to the first bird. It was not to be. It was a very sad moment.
I think that second bird exhibited faithfulness. It did not give up. It stayed nearby. I watched this scene for maybe 15 minutes, and the second bird never, ever gave up hope. It kept coming back. It kept trying to wake its mate.
It was sad that the first bird died, and the second was left to mourn in some way. But it also showed what faithfulness is, at least to me.